Introduction

Risk assessment, which can target preventive care to individuals’ disease risk, is becoming an increasingly important strategy for improving population health. However, numerous barriers limit the collection and synthesis of the data necessary for risk-stratification. Leveraging health IT may prove critical in overcoming these barriers and improving uptake of preventive guidelines. To this end, NHGRI is funding implementation of MeTree, a patient-facing health risk assessment program with just-in-time education/clinical decision support, into 5 diverse U.S. healthcare systems. We developed a mixed-methods pre-implementation process to facilitate uptake of MeTree that highlights implementation support needs. Here we present findings from 2 of the 5 systems.

Conclusion

Providers and staff value health IT to support risk assessment with just-in-time education. However, promotion via clinical champions and education is insufficient for successful implementation within busy primary care clinics. Key concerns that must be addressed include work-flow and communication during provider appointments. Identifying other promotion processes with/without a clinical champion should be further explored.